Local businesses show commitment to charitable outreach

Gloria BurnsCrave at the Village of Merrick Park has been hosting several non-profit organizations since its opening and recently hosted the Junior Orange Bowl Committee’s July Social on July 17.

Among the many enjoying the event was Barbara Norland who later would be hired as the JOBC’s new executive director. Others seen socializing that evening were JOBC president Don Slenick III; JOBC past presidents Barbara Waters, Chuck Little, Marti Bueso, and JR Steinbauer with his daughter, Erika; Pete Tolmach; Coral Gables Rotary president Walter Alvarez; Maggie and Rusty Hill, and many more.

This JOBC event and so many others have been orchestrated by Crave’s Group Sales and Marketing director Christina Ward, a co-founder of High Heels and Handshakes, which is a community resource organization that already has helped countless charities.

Speaking of High Heels and Handshakes, the organization’s next networking event will be a reception hosted by Crave on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m. Admission will be $10 and/or a pair of new or slightly used high heels that will be donated to a local charity.

The GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club has been invited to partner with High Heels and Handshakes for this event with the hopes of promoting the club and its May Van Sickle Children’s Dental Clinic that provided more than $231,000 in free dental care last year to Miami Dade County school children in need.

Speaking of businesses that give back, the Westin Colonnade’s Give Kids the World Scoops of Hope Breakfast on July 26, underwritten by and held at the hotel, not only helped raise funds to provide children and their families with the vacation of a lifetime, but also provided local charities a no-cost way to raise funds through ticket sales. Guests at this sold out event enjoyed a full breakfast buffet with ice cream as a topper for dessert.

Westin general manager Mike Wurster and his staff raised additional funds through a raffle as well as a silent auction for a Derek Wilson painting. In addition, guests left with a full tummy, a gift certificate donated by The Giving Tree’s Joan Reitsma, and several even won door prizes. Kids also enjoyed some costumed characters provide by GKTW adding to the festive nature of the affair.

This event’s charity partners included the GFWC Coral Gables Woman’s Club, Rotary Club of Coral Gables, Rotary Club of South Miami, Gulliver’s Interact Club, Coral Gables High School’s Interact Club, Miami Christian School and PBSA Power (a girls baseball team) to mention a few.

Lots of military were invited to the breakfast as well and, thanks to generous donors, veterans benefited in yet another way. The more than 50 tickets sold by Rotary’s assistant district governor, Yoli Woodbridge, of the Gables Rotary Club, will benefit the club’s ongoing visits to the VA hospital for bingo, an activity the veterans there look forward to every month.

City Year executive director Saif Ishoof (left) is pictured with Rotarian Pat Morris

On the topic of Coral Gables Rotary: At the club’s July 12 meeting, City Year executive director Saif Ishoof shared the successes of that program with Coral Gables Rotarians. That program was followed by the club’s alltime favorite speaker — past-president, attorney Frank Sexton. Sexton, an avid collector of historic documents, brought some of his collection for display and spoke on “The Meteoric Rise and Fall of America’s Most Brilliant Founding Father — Alexander Hamilton.” While the program ran late, everyone opted to stay to hear captivating presentation in its entirety. The Rotary Club of Coral Gables meets every Thursday for lunch at the Country Club of Coral Gables. Visiting Rotarians always are welcome.